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Servants and Tradesmen of Lord Louth, Tallanstown, Co. Louth 1801-03

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Small Sources 54:   This is a list of 148 servants,  tradesmen and labourers employed by Thomas Oliver Plunkett, 11th Lord Louth in the period 1801-03. Their place of employment was Louth Hall in the Civil parish of Tallanstown,  near Ardee, County Louth.  Logically, most of these workers (and particularly the labourers) would have been from the immediate area.   The house is now sadly ruined (see above),  but some information on it,  and  on the very interesting Plunkett family,  is available here.

The list was mainly compiled from an index to a document among the Louth Papers in the National Library of Ireland entitled  the ‘Labourers, tradesmen and servants ledger’ (NLI Ms. 5444).  Extracts photographed by Ancestor Network are reproduced here through the courtesy of NLI.  Further information on individuals was added from other documents (e.g. daily records of attendance etc)  in the same set of records, particularly relating to their  occupations. The index (see example above) shows the page number to an account for each person.  These individual accounts provide further information on the nature and extent of their services,  and the payments made to each.    An example of the 2 pages of the account of Laurence Linn is shown below.   The staff list is a mix of indoor and outdoor staff,  and also tradesmen providing specific services.   It includes mowers, carpenters, slaters, tilers, labourers, housemaids, butlers, masons, grooms, painter and cooks.  A ‘pump-borer’  (see un-named Wyre below) is ‘A person who bores tree trunks to make the cylinders of pumps‘ according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Names such as Hoey, Cluskey, Carroll, Caraher, Jordan, Matthews, Roe, Taaffe, Hughs (or Hughes) and Lamb are locally common names.  Note, for instance that there are three Patt Carrolls.   The list also contains some interesting rare names such as Rispin, Hawkey, Lapin (or Lappin),  Durnen and Gartlany. If you are interested in information on specific families,  our e-book title ‘Sources for Irish Family History 2021  lists 6,500  books and articles on over 2,500  Irish families.  The sources listed contain a wealth of information in the form of articles and books. The full details are described in one of a blog.

We will also offer 1 free hour of research by a professional researcher to conduct further research on these individuals, or in other papers of the estate. We can also obtain images of the original documents. Click here and quote ‘Louth SS54’ in the subject line.

Name   /   Occupation (where stated) and (additional comments in italics)

Boyle, Tommy    Labourer
Bond,   Sawyer          (Noted as ‘Edwd. Bond, Sawyer’ in one record – i.e. a person using a saw)
Breen, James
Buckill  ?
Buckrea,  Tenison
Byrne, James
Byrne & Co.     Mowers
Carraher, Patt.      Labourer
Campbell, Owen
Coron, Patt & James    Labourers
Caroll, Patt.   Thatcher       (see below re another Patt Caroll – this name is usually spelled Carroll)
Corigan, Patt.    Labourer
Caraher, James                      (noted as a mason in one record)
Cany, Bryan
Coghlan, Thos.    Groom
Cluskey, Owen & Sons    Labourers
Caroll, Patt  white    Labourer  ( he is noted as  ‘whitehead’ in another  record – note there are 3 Patt                             Carrolls so some means of distinguishing them would have been needed.  This is                                             probably a nickname) 
Curtis, Thomas    Labourer                 (Noted as  ‘Thomas Curtis  and sons’ in one record)
Caroll, Patt      Carpenter                     (see comment above on another Patt Caroll)
Coleman, John Do.    (Carpenter)
Cuningham, Thomas
Conely, Jas. & Patt & Co.   ditchers         (Noted as ‘labourers’ in one record)
Cluskey, John      Labourer
Cluskey, James        Mason
Cox, Widow
Cuningham, Mary     Kitchen-maid
Carr, Peter     Slater
Caraher, Hugh    Labourer
Concanon, Betty
Conner, Mrs.      Cook
Conner, Patt.
Campbell, Biddy     girl Labourer
Callan, James Do.
Callan,  Michl. & Martin’s (?), Labourer  (not in index- listed in another record)
Conlon, Phillip
Delamar, Dick                (One record states ‘Delamar & sons, stonecutters’)
Danily, Daniel               (probably a variant of Donnelly)
Dooley, Mrs.      Housemaid
Duffy, John & Peter      Labourer
Durnen, Peggy & Co.
Doolin, Mrs.
Fitzpatrick, James      Butler
Foster, Jack
Frain, John
Gartlany, James & Co.  Labourer
Ginity, Bryan & Jas.        (one record notes ‘The Ginitys, Masons’)
Grant, John
Hoey, Patt    Labourer
Hillard, Patt.    Labourer
Hoey, Owen
Hoey, Joseph
Hamil, James    Labourer
Hughs, Patt & Sons
Hoey, Peter    Labourer
Hanlon, Jas.   Labourer                           (Noted as ‘James Hanlon and sons’ in one record)
Hawkey, Painter
Hillard, Matthew     Labourer
Hoey, Bryan
Higgins, Edwd.
Halpeny, Jno.
Hughs, Tomy & Patt.
Hughs, James        Smith
Hollen, Bidy
Jordan, Patt.    Labourer
Jordan, Peter & Co.                               (‘Peter, Matthew and Kitt Jordan,  labourers’  noted in other record)
Mrs. Johnston, Cook
Johnston, Alex. Butler
Kelly, Patt & Owen                                                  (Owen is noted as a ‘Labourer’ in one record)
Keelan, Bryan & Co.    Labourers
Kinaghan, Patt.  Labourer                                (noted as ‘Patt Kenahan, Tyrone’  in one record)
Kelly, Mary      Housemaid
Kellett, Biddy
Linegin, Laughlin     Sadler
Laughey ?, Michl.     Labourer
Leaghan, John
Linn, Laurence     Labourer                             (noted as ‘Laury’ in one record – see his account below)

This is the account of the work done by Laurence Linn during the accounting period.  Note that he is also credited with the work of Tomy (Tommy) Linn,  who is possibly a brother.  It was common for one individual to act as the leader for a consortium of workers.  This is indicated as “and Co.’ in most accounts.
..and this is the Debit side of the account showing the payments made to Laurence Linn.  He received £17.15 in cash on Nov. 1st  1801,  plus  a further 11s 4d, in cash for ‘christening of child‘ of 19th Feb 1802;  he is docked 12s 6d in lieu of his ‘house rent‘ and also  £1.6s for ‘2 hundredweight of meal and sundry‘ given to James Foster through some mutually agreeable arrangement we will never discover.  Workers frequently received housing in lieu of wages – see article here for details.

Linn, Tomy         (see detail of Laurence Linn account above)
Lapin, Patt & Co.
Linn, John
Lawler, Mrs.     Cook
Laughran, George      Labourer        (usually spelled Loughran –  common name  in Tyrone and Armagh)
Lamb, Bryan
Lanon, John          Mason
Lamb, Ned       Carpenter
Lynch, Catty & Co.
Lamb,  Michl.
Matthews Patt More           ( ‘mor’ means big in Gaelic, so this may be a nickname)
Matthews, Owen      herd           (i.e. tending cattle)
Matthews, Owen & Sons     Labourers       (noted as ‘Owen senior’ in one record)
Mullon, James    Carpenter
McDonald, Patt.                  (one record states ‘Patt McDonell and sons’)
Matthews, Peter      Mason
Matthews, Billy              (Mason – noted as William,  Mason in other record)
Martin, Thomas
Murry,  John        Labourer          (usually spelled Murray)
Murtaugh, Henry
Murphy, John      Cooper
McManus, Tileman                 (one record notes ‘Tiler’)
McCalen, Phill                           (Noted as ‘.. McCallen…  ‘servant’ in one record)
Matthews, John     Labourer         (Noted as ‘John Matthews and wife’ in one record)
Mallon, Neil     Carpenter
Mullon, Dick
McGuire, Tom & Co.   Labourer        (noted as ‘Thomas McGuire and brother’ in one record)
McQuaid, Mathew
Marsden, Mrs.
Meath, Thomas      Labourer
McGurk, Phill
McDaniel, James
McFaden, Michael
Murphy, Carbery
McEnally, Patt.
McGinnis, Nicholas
Matthews, Phill & Children
Mr. McCray     Butler
McEneany, James
Markey, Peter
McLinden & Co.
Matthews,  Nick and brothers     Labourers         (not in index but present in other record)
Nash, Randall      Butler
Neil, James
Oneil, Bridget      Kitchenmaid            (= O’Neill – noted as ‘Biddy Oneil’ in one record)
Parks, Charles      Slater                        (noted as Parkes in one record)
Perkins,     Slater                                     (noted as ‘Thomas Perkins’  in one record)
Plunkett, Joseph
Purple, (?) Mary
Plunkett, John
Roe, James      Mason

Extract from the ‘P’ index.   Note the very ornate letter ‘P’ used.

Roark, Patt. Groom                (noted as undergroom in one record)
Reily, Thomas    Understeward
Roe, Michael
Rispin, Jno.
Rice, Owen
Smart, John   Labourer
Sharkey, Miller
Smyth,   stone cutter
Stewart, Mrs. Anne              (noted as ‘Mrs. A Stuart’ in one record of servants)
Stephens, John    Labourer
Sweeney, Owen    Labourer
Smyth, Serjant               (noted as ‘occasional bailiff’ in one record)
Tatton, James    Labourer
Turner, Mary    Housemaid
Taaffe, John & Sons  Labourers          (noted as ‘Jno Taaffe and 3 sons’  in one record)
Trevers, John
Tallon, Dick         Labourer
Taaffe, Nancy
Villiers, Mrs.      Housekeeper
Ward, Hugh      Labourer
Waters, Michl. & Co.
Waters, Betty & Co.
Willis, Robt.     Painter
Wyre,       pump borer
Waren, Mrs.     Cook

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